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Read the original first flight press release:
THE AN-148 PERFORMED THE FIRST FLIGHT
On the 17th of December 2004 a new regional passenger jet AN-148-100 carried out its first flight. The aircraft was operated by crew consisted of: leading test-pilot Eugenii Galunenko, the crew captain; test-pilot Sergei Troshin, co-pilot; leading engineer on flight tests Aleksander Makiyan. The take-off was carried out from the runway of “Sviatoshin” airdrome (Kiev). The take-off run was 1000 m. The programme of the first test flight included investigation of stability and controllability of the aircraft within the whole rate of speeds, at all positions of the elements of the wing high-lift devices, with extended and retracted landing gear and operational test of all the aircraft systems. It was almost fully performed except of climb to the altitude of 7000 m because of adverse weather conditions in Kiev on the 17th of December. That is why the flight with duration of 1 hr 25 min was performed on altitude rate from 0 till 3000 m with the speeds from 200 km/hrs to 470 km/hrs.
The AN-148-100 landed at airdrome of ANTONOV ASTC's flight test and operational developing base in Gostomel near Kiev. All systems worked in normal mode, no failure had been revealed. The real flight characteristics of the aircraft practically in full coincided with designed ones. At the press-conference held after the first flight of the AN-148 the captain said: “To fly on such an aircraft is the real pleasure both for the crew and for passengers.”
ANTONOV ASTC completes assembly of the second AN-148-100 prototype. Its first flight is scheduled on January 2005. This aircraft will join to the programme of certificate tests to be completed before the end of the year. In the first quarter of 2006 it is planned to receive the certificate of type.
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